Show Me Your Soul
by TeeNa3
Summary: The Doomsday Machine chose the destiny of the worlds, but is everything really the way it seems? Is this the only path we can have? Can we change anything? / Spoilers up to 3.22 promo. / Pairings: PB/OD, LL/AltOD, LL/Other Character
1. Prologue

**A/N:** I was planning on writing this fic for a few weeks now, I just needed some more details and now, after seeing the promo for 3.22, I just HAVE to finish it asap.

The name comes from the song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

P.S.: I love reviews.

**Warning:** Spoilers up to 3.22 "The Day We Died" official promo.

_**SHOW ME YOUR SOUL**_

_**Prologue**_

_The storm was getting worse. It seemed like the whole Liberty Island was shaking from the unbearable force,__ bolts of lightning striking outside, and for a few minutes Olivia was just standing there looking up at Peter, pain clearly showing on her face as she was watching his body fiercely convulsing, jolts of electricity running through it._  
><em>It seemed like nothing else was going on, just the two of them deciding fate of the whole universe... it was all a blur… the lights went out… then it was over...<em>  
><em>Minutes later Peter woke up in her arms slowly opening his eyes. She was sitting on the floor and holding him tight against her, eyes closed, not willing to let go, and when he started moving she looked down at him quickly. At first she was afraid he won't recognize her, as if something could change him, alter his memories... But as his gaze finally seemed to come into focus she saw him smile. It wasn't long before the smile disappeared.<em>  
><em>"What happened?" Peter asked, looking concerned.<em>  
><em>"I don't know..." she answered honestly, shaking her head.<em>  
><em>Then it was Walter's voice they heard.<em>  
><em>"Struck by a lightning twice."<em>  
><em>Two pairs of eyes looked at him in confusion.<em>  
><em>"What?" Olivia said.<em>  
><em>They knew that when he smiled like that he was up to no good. It was in his eyes. He was content and satisfied, just like when he would discover something huge, this dark smile of well-hidden knowledge.<em>  
><em>"We sealed the hole to another universe. Good work, son. <em>_Good work."_


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey guys, thank you for your early reviews, I hope you like the _actual_ beginning of this story which is going to have 8 chapters in total, first and last being the prologue and the epilogue.

As usual, R&R, you know I love reviews, right? Hehe. Thank you for reading!

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><p><em>Into my life you were injected<em>

_Not something that I expected_

_Now I smile from your affection_

_We have made a soul connection_

_Just for whom does your bell toll_

_Don't be cold show me your soul_

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><p><em><strong>SHOW ME YOUR SOUL<strong>_

_**Chapter 1**_

It was early in the morning when a girl arrived at the door of a basement lab in Harvard University. She was wearing a strict pantsuit and her shoulder-length light-brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

She was clutching a thin folder in her arms, holding it safely like some kind of treasure. Her curious green eyes darted around the dark corridor, she looked around to see if there was anyone else and before trying to open the door she breathed out sharply and crossed her fingers for a moment. It was open. A tiny smile appeared on her face and she let herself in.

The lab looked just exactly as she remembered it. Dimly lit, all kinds of weird smells of chemicals, substances and food, of course. There was also this distinctive cow smell which she would recognize anywhere – the smell of a well groomed farm animal mixed with the scent of fresh milk. She smiled as she saw Gene. The cow stood still chewing some grass or hay, completely oblivious to everything going on around her.

"Hello?" the girl called.

"Hello?" the other young female voice replied.

"May I come in?" the girl called again trying to figure out who she was talking to, but she was sure she recognized the voice already.

"Um…" Astrid Farnsworth finally appeared out of some kind of backroom and the girl caught a glimpse of a fish tank. "May I help you?"

The girl smiled.

"Hello, my name is Libby Carroll", she held out her hand, but then noticed Astrid was wearing rubber gloves and waited a bit until the other woman took one off of her right hand and shook Libby's hand introducing herself. "Nice to meet you. Agent Broyles called me. I'm so glad you're here, I thought it was too early."

Astrid frowned for a moment as if trying to remember something, but then, probably remembering what it was, she nodded.

"Oh, sure, you're the agent from New York who was investigating that woman's case."

Libby nodded back.

"Exactly. I was told you have new details", she looked around the lab and Astrid invited her to come in with a gesture. "From what I understood she appeared again. I was expecting to get a call if that happened, so I arrived as soon as it was possible."

"I don't know the whole situation yet", Astrid said putting her glove back on, "but it looked very weird on the news... the way she just stood up and walked away. They said it's not the first time this happened."

"Yes", Libby confirmed. "Dana Gray is one of the most interesting cases I've investigated."

As they walked further into the lab she couldn't help but smile at the sight of their surroundings. Everything seemed so familiar, almost everything was in the same place, it was just a few details that were different, but the whole picture remained the same.

"The other agents and our civilian consultants will be arriving soon", Astrid told her. "Do you want coffee or... tea or something else while we're waiting for them?"

Libby stopped by a table that had all kinds of laboratory equipment on it and her smile turned into a blissful grin.

"I hope you don't mind if I take one of these", she said holding up a pack of red vines and looking up at Astrid.

"Me, I don't, but if there are people complaining don't blame me", Astrid replied in a sing-song voice laughing softly. "But don't worry, help yourself."

It wasn't until about an hour later before people started arriving.

A young blonde woman walked in first, followed closely by an old man and a younger man who was shaking his head in apparent disapproval of something. Libby felt some kind of warmth in her chest appear and grow larger with every second until she felt so light-headed she could almost call it being high. But it wasn't the right time now...

"No, Belly, you can't just call the formula yours because you think you invented it", the older man was talking to the woman. "You probably simply saw it in one of my papers and memorized it recreating it later by accident."

"Oh please, Walter", the woman replied in a strange voice that didn't suit her at all. "I've been making this smoothie since nineteen eighty eight, I'd been experimenting on it for two years before that."

The younger man's eyes widened at the absurdity of the conversation which made Libby smirk.

"Okay, you two", he said to them, "I thought I'd had enough of that at home this morning, now will you please do me a favor and stop arguing."

The man called Walter looked at him in disbelief.

"But Peter, you don't understand. If he", Walter pointed at the blonde woman, "thought that stealing my trademark drink was going to stay unnoticed, I am very concerned about our friendship."

The blonde woman raised her eyebrow with an expression of pure amusement on her face.

"I don't want to talk about food _or_ drinks anymore!" Peter said loud enough for both Walter and the woman he called "Belly" to exchange glances. "Come on, we have work to do."

He walked down the stairs and suddenly stopped after spotting Libby.

"Hello", he said, obviously waiting for some kind of explanation.

She had to rearrange her thoughts before managing to introduce herself and explain the whole situation. The folder she brought had all kinds of evidence on that case and she showed them every single picture and note she had about that woman. A few minutes later Walter and "Belly" were sitting at the table in their lab coats, studying evidence.

"So you're telling that Hartford wasn't the only department aware of the case?" Peter asked folding his arms.

"Well, she keeps moving a lot..." Libby began, but they heard someone else walk in.

"Hello?" a man called. A man with another strangely familiar voice.

"Hello?" it was Astrid's voice again who replied.

Libby turned to see who it was... It couldn't be him... Not _him_... And it wasn't. He was wearing glasses. She would easily call them vintage, but it wasn't the right time. He was almost the same... she lost track of time... it was a few seconds, but she could swear it felt like eternity before his voice dragged her out of her thoughts and she blinked furiously trying to come back to reality.

"I believe we haven't been introduced yet." He held out his hand with this expression on his face as if trying to ask if she was alright. "I'm agent Lincoln Lee."

She cleared her throat and shook his hand.

"Agent Libby Carroll", she said. "I suppose it was you who investigated Dana Gray's case before."

He frowned.

"It was, yes. What do you know about Dana Gray?" he asked with sheer curiosity.

"Well..." Libby started. "I know that this is a very weird situation. She reappeared in New York and New Jersey several times since the first time I learned about her."

Lincoln suddenly seemed to be very interested in what she was saying. He nervously fixed his glasses and nodded. "What else?"

"The cases are exactly the same, she just keeps getting away every time." She told him. "I think it's just a matter of time before she changes her name and location again."

"And we need to do something about it before she kills someone else." Lincoln said expressing her own thoughts. She glanced at him briefly before turning to Walter who was chewing a red vine.

"So what did you find out?" she asked Walter who had a look of pure satisfaction on his face.

"We found two sets of DNA in the specimens we took from the scene..." he began handing them some papers.

A few days later, after the case was solved, Libby finally felt some relief. She helped them, she actually helped them with the information she had, though it wasn't without Lincoln's help... she may never see him again. If her mission was complete soon it could only mean that things would go back to normal.

The case was solved. That was the point. That's it. She helped.

There were some questions left, however.

Walter was busy studying something under his microscope. She had to admit, as she sat down beside him, he was studying something nice, something that smelled really good, maybe even something tasty.

"So..." she began and paused for a moment waiting for Walter to pay full attention or at least to become aware of her presence. "How do you think she was doing it?"

"Doing what?" Walter asked without even looking at her.

"Not dying", Libby explained. She kept looking from Walter's face to the microscope and back to his face, then to the microscope again. "This is some sophisticated science here, if you ask me."

A grin appeared on Walter's face as he slowly moved away from the microscope.

"I really like the way you refer to inability to die as a science", he turned to look at Libby. "I call it positive thinking."

She smiled and bit her lip.

"Don't worry, my dear", he reassured her. "You and... that... young man in glasses helped a lot."

Libby's smile began fading.

"Yeah... I hope so..." she said.

Walter went back to his microscope.

"You cooperated so well together", he said in a thundering merry voice. "Isn't it wonderful that Belly invited him?"

Libby looked away and gulped nervously.

"Maybe it is...", she whispered, but Walter was deep in his own thoughts busy with research again now ignoring her completely.

"Speaking of Belly. I will prove him that this formula was my original invention, because he doesn't know about the secret ingredient", he thundered again laughing triumphantly and Libby thought that it was the right time for her to leave.

She felt like going for a walk. It was dark already and she could only hope that she would get to her hotel safely. It was just a few blocks away and she could really use some fresh air. But once she reached the first crossroad she saw a man standing there, waiting for the lights to change.

It was Lincoln. She couldn't see his eyes behind the lenses of his glasses that were reflecting the light of a nearby street-lamp, but she was sure he spotted her before she was given a chance to run away. He smiled and started walking towards her. She smiled back. He waved. She waved back. He kept staring at her. And it was already too late when she realized he was hugging her. She hesitated whether to hug him back or not, but he didn't really seem to care and released her and stepped away a bit before she could make up her mind.

"Hey!" he was beaming at her. "I thought you were going back to New York."

"I thought you were going back to Hartford", she said trying not to stare at him too much, but failing miserably.

He rolled his eyes.

"Ugh... Um... I think I'm a bit scared of means of public transportation after that case", he laughed nervously a little. "And no one in the office would give me a ride. Um... But... since... you know... since we met... maybe..."

He was gesturing and pausing after almost every single word which made Libby feel like taking control of the situation and asking _him_ that question instead, but she decided not to rob herself of joy she found in watching him struggle with his awkwardness. She wasn't used to this, no. But it seemed natural, too.

"We could... you know..." he was so painful to observe that she was on the verge of asking him to send her a text. Telling him her number herself, of course, instead of waiting for him to ask for it for another century. "You wanna... you know..."

She let out a sigh mixed with a laugh.

"Okay."

He froze with his mouth open, then closed it and frowned.

"Okay what?"

She looked him in the eyes and made a "you know what" grimace. It took a couple of moments for information to sink in which was clearly shown on his face. Then he was back to life.

"Oh... OH! Cool! How 'bout some ice cream?" he grinned and raised his eyebrows. "I know a place."

She couldn't help but laugh at him again. Why would he suggest ice cream? She was twenty-four after all. Was it bad that she found him cute? Was it bad that she was attracted to him. To _him._ Of all people it was him she had to come face to face with again. The universe must've had this joke planned for years now.

"Ice cream sounds fine", she said and she could swear she saw him bounce a little, or maybe she was just imagining it... the street wasn't that nicely lit. "Where is this _place_ you know?"

"It's just down the street", he pointed somewhere and began acting like it was Christmas in February. "I always go there whenever I'm in Boston. They have the _best_ chocolate ice cream in New England, I swear."

Libby felt her heart sink horribly. She just hoped he didn't notice her face change from happy to scared. Why was it so difficult for her?

The rest of the evening went relatively normal. As normal as it could possibly be for her considering the situation.

If she knew this was going to happen she would've planned it out more carefully. Was it something she didn't calculate? Was she doing something wrong?

But everything just seemed so perfect. They ate and laughed and he would tell her stories about the cases he had to deal with and she told him something about her own investigations. And he asked her about how much she knew about Fringe Division. And she said that she knew enough not to get too involved. Which left him confused. Again. And he walked her to her hotel after promising her to catch the late train back to Connecticut.

They stopped by the front door.

"I wish we met earlier", he said and she had to hold back a laugh because he looked like he just couldn't stop smiling. She captured her bottom lip with her upper one for a moment and felt her ears go red.

"Be careful what you wish for", she said and smiled one last time. "Goodnight, Lincoln."

She thought he looked a bit puzzled as he wished her a good night, too, before she closed the door, but he had a good reason for that.

No one understood what she was going through. No one knew what she felt. No one could tell her what to do exactly. There was no time. She had things to do and nothing... or no one... was supposed to distract her.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I have to say, I actually like the way this fic is turning out.  
>Thank you for all the reviews guys, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!<p>

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><p><em>In a world that can be so insane<br>__I don't think it's very strange  
><em>_For me to be in love with you  
><em>_I wanna know more than your brain_

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><p><em><strong>SHOW ME YOUR SOUL<strong>_

_**Chapter 2**_

A few days passed. Libby kept nosing around the lab and FBI headquarters from time to time pretending to be helping solve new cases. But in reality she just wanted two things. First, to be as close to them as it was possible. And second, she need answers. The answers she couldn't find just yet. She couldn't get too involved, but information was crucial.

Things with Lincoln went too fast for her liking. Maybe it was because she knew exactly what to say or to do, or maybe he just really liked her, but he kept emailing her from Hartford telling her how he wished they weren't miles apart because he wanted to ask her out for real.

He promised to visit her that weekend. And although she knew she had to get out of this one fast, she couldn't help but tell him she thought it was a great idea. She didn't know if it was, really. She wanted to meet him again, but her cause, the reason why she was here were the priority at the moment.

"I'm really glad I could make it", Lincoln told her after warm greetings. "I was so busy I thought I had to cancel."

They ordered some coffee. The conversation was absolutely normal. Work, weather, friends, family... although she had this feeling he was even more secretive about his family than she was about her own.

"I hope we can do this more often", he said an hour later looking down at her hands that she put on the table, her arms framing the coffee cup as if protecting it.

Libby could see he was hesitating. It took him a couple of seconds to finally move and take her hands in his. He looked up at her, his smile warm and gentle. She felt her stomach drop.

"Well, I don't want to give you false hope", she said noticing the change in his expression. "I don't think I'm gonna stay around here for long enough."  
>He shook his head not letting go of her hands.<br>"I don't understand. Are you going somewhere? I thought you lived here."  
>She took a deep breath trying to find the right words. No explanation she tried to come up with seemed relevant.<p>

"I can't explain it", she said. "I just can't promise you anything."  
>"Liz, you can tell me", he looked concerned. "Is there some kind of a problem?"<p>

The way he was holding her hands, she wanted to tell him that _it_ was a problem. They were never supposed to be this way.

Suddenly his face fell as if he had just realized something awful.

"You have a boyfriend, don't you?" he said in a low voice almost letting go of her hands, but after she shook her head in a very convincing way he rearranged his grip on her hands, their fingers intertwining. "Then what is it?"

"I wish I could tell you", she really did, "but all I can say is that we are not supposed to have... well... _this_."

She looked down at their hands and wanted to tell him how much she actually wanted this and more, but it wasn't the right time.

It was clear he was starting to get annoyed with her answers. Or lack of those, to be exact. He finally let go of her hands and shrugged in frustration.

"Ok, can we just spend some time together right now?" he said raising his eyebrows. "Not that I accept what you're telling me... or trying to tell... whatever..." he paused. "I just want to talk to you, you know. Get to know you. Have fun together. You do have fun with me, don't you?"

She chuckled quietly and let that little awkward smile appear on her face. That could work.

"Okay", she said.

His face lit up.

"Right", he bit his lip. "Just tonight. Just this moment. You and me, ok?"

Libby nodded and took her cup to take a sip of coffee.

"Good", a contented smile appeared on his face. "Who knows, maybe I might even change your mind about whatever you have on it."

Libby just smiled sadly behind her cup.

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><p>It was spring already. Libby went to buy some groceries that Sunday and while picking food and drinks she was thinking of Lincoln the whole time.<p>

They were going to meet later today. He told her he wanted to come over to see her apartment in New York. Nothing special, just some time together, maybe some TV, a couple of beers, that's it.

Libby was almost at her building's door when she suddenly froze and almost dropped her bags. A man in a hat and a suit was standing in front of her, holding a briefcase.

"What are you doing here?" she asked not wanting to sound like she wanted to rip his head off, but that was exactly how it turned out.

"You are interfering with the natural course of events", he replied. "I am here to warn you."

She just rolled her eyes at him and shook her head.

"The universe has its own means of course-correction", he simply said. "The more you interfere the worse it is going to be for you."

At that point she decided to ignore him before she did anything stupid and simply proceeded to enter the building.

An hour later, when she was about to wonder where the hell Lincoln was, there was a soft knock. Libby went to the door and looked through the peephole. The very first thing her eyes landed on was a bunch of flowers. Then she saw the man who was holding it.

She opened the door. Lincoln was smiling from ear to ear.

"Hey, I just thought you were gonna like these", he said handing her the flowers. She took them and felt like crying suddenly. White tulips. Her favorite, ever since she was a kid.

"Hey", she said, forcing a smile. "I love them."

The look on his face clearly said "mission complete" and after letting him in she went to put the flowers in a vase.

Lincoln was already trying to make himself comfortable, looking around her apartment, like a kitten brought to a new home where it had to explore every single corner. She was still in the kitchen when he slowly walked up to her. She got used to seeing him in his casual jeans and t-shirt by now and she had to admit he looked nice today. She didn't want to look at him, because she knew she was going to break his heart when she told him she couldn't see him anymore.

"We need to talk."

Lincoln's happiness was suddenly gone and he looked alarmed. He gulped nervously.

"What is it?" he said.

Libby didn't know how to start this conversation she wished they weren't about to have. But Lincoln seemed to understand what she wanted to tell him when she looked into his eyes and saw them getting darker. She knew that was exactly what he was afraid of and his fears were coming true.

"We still have tonight", she simply said.

"So..." he tightened his lips, his nostrils flaring. "This is a goodbye, then, isn't it?"

Libby couldn't stand how sad he looked. She wanted to make it easier somehow, to make him feel better, because she fully understood what he was going through. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his chest.

"I'm sorry. I wish things were different", she whispered and took a deep breath to sigh, but the scent of his perfume suddenly made her stop and feel dizzy. She closed her eyes involuntarily, breathing out slowly, and heard him whimper quietly as she tightened her grip on him and pulled him closer.

She felt his uneven breath on the top of her head and opened her eyes looking up at him. Their faces were millimeters apart. She saw desperation in his eyes and found it so unbearable that she had to look down at his lips, but before she could think of something to say she found herself responding to a very gentle kiss...

Libby couldn't sleep that night. Her head was filled with thoughts of her mission. She was wondering if she was really interfering with something. What were the consequences? She haven't even found anything yet. How was she supposed to do what she wanted if she was changing things so early already?

Lincoln turned in his sleep and put his arm around her pressing his nose against the back of her neck. He felt warm against her, it was the most amazing feeling in the world, but inside she felt horrible. She knew it was wrong and before she was able to get a grip on herself tears began falling into her pillow and she cried herself to sleep, hoping he couldn't hear her.


	4. Chapter 3

_Sentimental Gentlemen are not afraid to show you when  
><em>_I am you, you're my best friend  
><em>_Show me your soul_

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><p><em><strong>SHOW ME YOUR SOUL<strong>_

_**Chapter 3**_

_It was snowing. A woman and a man were getting out of the car. Libby was sitting in a cafe across the street, watching them as they laughed and smiled at each other, saying what seemed to be the nicest things to each other, looking happy and content._

_The man was the perfect gentleman. He jogged around the front of the car to his lady in a very amusing way and held out his arm which she took gracefully with a wide smile. She gestured towards the cafe and he nodded as if agreeing to her silent invitation. Libby could only stare at them in awe. _

_Then a red balloon appeared from behind a car, floating just above it, and only a few seconds later Libby saw that a little girl was holding it in her hand as she came into view. The girl was happy, too. Of course, she was, it was Christmas, after all._

_The girl ran to her mother, gave her the balloon and hugged her legs. The woman laughed and tried to rearrange, deciding what to do so that she could take her daughter's hand, but the girl suddenly released her and started to run away towards the cafe where Libby was sitting. Pure fear appeared on the woman's face. She was shouting to her daughter, probably trying to stop her and make her come back, although Libby couldn't hear what it was, then she ran after her daughter. But before the girl even crossed the street, there was a loud screech of brakes and all she could hear was the man's screams as the red balloon flew away and up into the blue skies..._

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><p>Libby woke with a start. She couldn't breath, clutching at her chest. It wasn't the first time she had that nightmare, more like a thousand and first time. It had been bothering her for several years now and she couldn't do anything about it. It was like a curse.<p>

The only distraction was work.

Charlie was already in the office when she entered the headquarters.

"Wow, is that a tattoo?" she exclaimed excitedly looking at somewhere below his chin and squinting. "I'm thinking of getting one myself."

Charlie frowned, looking a bit too tired even for this early hour in the morning.

"What tattoo?" he said uncertainly, almost curiously.

Libby raised her eyebrows in amazement and pointed at him.

"The one on your neck, duh", she said. But after he began to try and see himself in his tea spoon's reflection she started to suspect that something was wrong.

"Wait", she said, finally realizing what was going on. At first she began giggling, then giggles turned into hysterical laughter. "Didn't the bar have a mirror?"

"Kiddo, it's not even funny", he was clearly pissed, finally finding the source of his trouble and trying to rub it off.

"Are you sure?" she was almost choking.

"Dammit, I gotta have it removed", he was looking positively alarmed. "I can't go around like this."

He put his left elbow on his work-board and pressed his hand over the tattoo on the left side of his neck trying to look as innocent as possible.

"I hope Melissa doesn't kill you for exploiting the expensive equipment too often", Libby finally calmed down and shook her head.

"And you think you should get used to it after six months here, right?" he laughed showing all his teeth in the process. "What did we do to our lives?"

She couldn't help but agree with him.

"So how does it feel to be the second in command?" she asked him patting him on the shoulder and proceeding to her own workspace.

"Feels nice", he replied chewing his gum loudly, but trying not to move much. "Broyles was kind enough to spare Captain Cutie."

"Oh, I'm sure he's gonna find his way back to the top", Libby said and stuck her tongue out after Charlie raised his eyebrows in that "oh yeah?" manner she loved so much. "No offense."

"None taken", he nodded. "Yet. Because I will kick your ass if you continue defending him."

"And I thought you said that you never talk about me while I'm not around", they heard a familiar male voice suddenly and turned to the man.

Lincoln flashed them one of his trademark smiles and looked at Charlie.

"You need to stop your jokes or I will hide your little anti-worm device one of these days", he said and turned to Libby bowing his head slightly. "Agent Carroll."

"Agent Lee", she replied, giving him one of the most flirtatious looks. "How are you feeling today?"

"Quite nice, I must admit", he said still smiling. "Unlike agent Francis, I suppose."

Charlie pressed his palm harder against his neck. Libby and Lincoln snickered.

"I would _love_ to hear more stories about your night out, boys", Libby said, "but I need to work now, thanks."

"You want tea?" Lincoln asked. "I'm gonna go get some."

Libby thought for a moment.

"Actually, I'm gonna go with you", she stood up.

"Yeah, you're gonna need four hands for the cups", Charlie said.

Libby stopped and frowned.

"Why?"

"Because there's a new agent coming today", Lincoln replied.

"Oh no", Libby pretended to look disappointed. "I can't have more than two of you hanging around at the same time."

"Actually, it's a girl". Charlie grinned. "And a hot one."

"You've seen her?"

"She's an Olympic medalist", Charlie's gum was almost falling out of his mouth. "So... Yeah. I've seen her."

"And I hope she shoots you before you recognize her", Lincoln said. "C'mon, Liz, let's go, this guy is getting on my nerves."

Once they were back in the office they saw the agent that they talked about earlier and she was already talking to Charlie. At first all they saw was her back and long light-brown hair, but when Charlie pointed at them and she turned around Libby almost dropped the paper cups she was holding.

She couldn't remember when was the last time she felt so horrible. Maybe for the first time in thirteen years... It was going to be tough.

"Hello", Olivia smiled and offered her hand to Libby first. "Nice to meet you."

Libby set the cups down and shook Olivia's hand. After a round of greetings mixed with typical jokes from all four of them, Olivia told them that Charlie already explained a lot about what they were doing here, including the gruesome stuff that they had to deal with.

"Oh yeah", Libby told her. "We don't have much of a life here, you know, so get used to it."

They all laughed.

"Do you work in the field, too?"

"Um... no, I'm more of an office plankton type", Libby shook her head and chuckled. "I usually just sit here and give these two instructions how to risk their lives better."

Olivia laughed.

"Behind every great man there's a great woman", Lincoln said looking at Libby with a hint of an admiration which made that awkward little smile appear on her face again.

He turned to Olivia.

"Come on, I'll show you around", he said leading Olivia away from the other two.

It's wasn't until Libby heard Charlie's "awwww" that she finally came back to her senses. She turned to look at him.

"What?" she asked with a half-smile, frowning slightly.

Charlie's expression said enough already.

"Our little boy is in love", he announced like it was something way too obvious not to notice. "Now I have all chances of becoming the Head of Division after Broyles resigns, 'cause there's no way he's gonna keep his mind straight with that chick around."

Libby simply laughed and suggested they return to their work.

"If he wasn't such a big-head, he would be babbling around her, trust me", Charlie said. "I've known the guy since forever. His confidence is his weapon."

"Whatever", Libby just rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p>Olivia had her first assignment in field the following day. Charlie and Lincoln took her to a Fringe sight arguing loudly about who was the boss for the job that day. As usual, Libby was worried for the rest of the afternoon, until all three came back, looking exhausted and quite awful.<p>

"What happened?" she flinched as she saw bits of something disgusting on their clothes, skin and even hair.

"I commanded that prick not to touch the goddamn trigger before I told him to", Lincoln threw Charlie a hateful look and got an uglier one back. "But no, he needed to shoot the freaking gas barrel."

Olivia looked like she was going to throw up.

"And?" Libby asked impatiently.

Lincoln jumped onto Libby's station and she moved away trying not to get anything on her.

"Well, the dude we were after just exploded...", he tugged at his t-shirt. "ON us!"

"Yeah, well, next time you whisper your commands in my ear a little bit quieter and see what happens", Charlie said. Lincoln mocked him. Charlie made a rude gesture.

"Ok, you guys, that was one hell of a day", he declared stretching. "I think I need a beer." He looked at Lincoln. "You in?"

"Um..." Lincoln hesitated, still looking pissed. "I'm kinda short of money right now."

"I can lend you some", Olivia quickly said before Libby could even open her mouth.

"I have money, too, you know", she almost immediately regretted saying it, but Charlie quickly came to her rescue.

"Aww, then lend me some, too, kiddo."

And they just laughed it off.

"To hell with the paperwork, let's go chillax", Charlie suggested, getting up.

"Don't be so quick, Francis", they heard Broyles's voice. "I want all your reports in fifteen minutes. Especially _yours_."

An ugly grimace appeared on Charlie's face.

"I saw that", Broyles said. "Which means it's ten for you now. Chop chop, people."

Lincoln and Olivia exchanged glances and Lincoln jumped off Libby's work-board.

"I'm gonna hit the shower after that", he announced. "I can't stand the feeling of this dude's guts on me."

Olivia laughed.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

About half an hour later, of course, instead of promised ten minutes, they were finished with their reports which were successfully transferred to Broyles's computer. Then all three left to wash the day and "the dude" off, leaving Libby alone at her station.

She felt distracted. She couldn't focus on anything. She wanted coffee, not a bag of tea, dammit.

"You shouldn't be so aggressive", she heard Astrid's voice and turned around.

"What do you mean?" Libby asked, frowning.

It seemed like Astrid couldn't look her in the eyes for longer than five seconds. She looked down and continued.

"Isn't it obvious that agent Dunham is trying to make you all like her?" she said. "She just seems confident, but in reality she is very insecure and you shouldn't create an unfriendly environment."

Libby looked at her in a way that made Astrid feel like for the first time in her life she was saying something irrelevant.

"Oh, come on", Libby replied. "I wasn't _that _aggressive... I mean, I wasn't aggressive _at all_!" she paused and added quietly. "Protective, maybe."

"I don't think that the fact that you and Captain Lee don't have an official status to your romantic relationship is going to be a problem, if you mean that", Astrid said and raised her eyes to look at Libby just for a split second.

Libby frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think I have the right to discuss such personal things, but according to her file, agent Dunham has a life partner."

Libby's eyebrows flew up.

"You mean she has a _boyfriend_?"

Astrid nodded, still looking down.

"That is correct", she looked up briefly again. "I must add that this information is also public and has photographic confirmation in mass media."

A tiny light of hope lit up in Libby's chest. She didn't know why she did that, but she ran to Astrid and hugged her, leaving the older agent petrified.

* * *

><p>Charlie was the first to return to the office. Libby smiled at him and asked what he thought of their new agent.<p>

"She's ok, I guess", he shrugged. "We'll just have to see how she acts when the crap's gonna get _real_, you know what I mean."

Libby nodded.

"And what about Lincoln?"

Charlie didn't say anything at first as if he didn't really want to answer her question.

"I bet he didn't tell you he had a crush on her ever since he saw her picture in that paper", he said quietly to her.

All Libby could do was look at him and smile, shaking her head.

"Ok, kiddo, I'mma go tell Melissa this crap is itching", he pointed to his neck that was tattooless again and walked away.

Libby sat quietly for a few minutes, thinking of how weird it all was.

Olivia appeared in the office next and walked up to Libby.

"Ok, girl talk", she whispered. Libby thought that Olivia wasn't the type of a person suitable for a "girl talk", but found the situation really amusing. Or was it a joke? She couldn't think straight. "Don't tell them, but I don't really like drinking."

Libby chuckled.

"Ok, I won't. You're just gonna have to pretend really well, you know", she smiled and shrugged, trying to explain with her body language that it wasn't her problem if Olivia couldn't hold her liquor.

Soon Lincoln was back as well, doing a final check on everything, and Charlie had already returned from the medical centre and walked up to them.

"Ladies", he said offering Olivia his arm and she took it with some kind of a clumsy curtsy and they walked out of the room together.

A few seconds later Lincoln was at the door putting his jacket on.

"You coming, Liv?" he shouted.

For a second Libby thought there was no air in the room.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" she shouted back.

"Um..." he frowned and looked from side to side, obviously wondering what was so difficult about that simple question that she couldn't hear. "I asked you if you were going to come with us, _Liz_", he said loud and clear enough for her to hear the last word properly this time.

She gathered all her strength to force a smile and nod.

"Sure", she swallowed. "Coming."

And she made her way to the exit, Lincoln putting his arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the office together.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hey guys, thank you for your reviews, I really like your questions about the main character and I hope that you will like this chapter as well. I know it's all a bit confusing, but so is Fringe :D So don't worry, you'll know who the girl is in the end.

Also, I decided to make the story one chapter shorter, so there are two more chapters left, the second one being the epilogue and then I can live in peace with myself, because, as I've said many times already, this plot was torturing me ;) Now that I've written over a half of it (actually there's only one chapter left to write since I have the epilogue already), I can say that it's turning out exactly as I wanted it to be. I wish I had more time to go into details, write more romantic scenes, but, alas, I need to finish it today and this rough outline is all I've got at the moment, but at the same time it is exactly how I pictured it. :)

So now enjoy chapter four. And review ;) Thanks!

* * *

><p><em>Yes, I find you so appealing<br>__When you show me how you're feeling  
><em>_You, my friend, should not be kneeling  
><em>_Open up and start revealing  
><em>_Trust in me my heart is sole  
><em>_I need to see, show me your soul_

* * *

><p><em><strong>SHOW ME YOUR SOUL<strong>_

_**Chapter 4**_

"And _that's_ how he was able to activate the substance in the first place", Libby explained as Lincoln listened carefully to her every single word. "Not to mention that he had full access to the building's blueprints and could easily find the shortcut out. So dozens of people suffocate and at first it looks like he has nothing to do with it..."

"But he, of course, did", Lincoln finished, nodding with that tired smile on his face.

They were in the Fringe Division headquarters. A month passed since Olivia joined the team and the results were getting much better. With her help Lincoln and Charlie were finally given more freedom, they acted faster and got more productive. Even when things were getting hectic, even when they had a lot on their plates, it was only a question of time before a single clue or action could decide the outcome of the whole investigation.

They had just closed another case and it was one of those strange days when Libby just told Lincoln what to do without even explaining it, only because there was no time to explain with all the danger he and his team were facing at the moment. They had to act fast or no one could really tell what was going to happen if they didn't. As usual, he trusted her and soon it payed off.

And now, when they were back in the office, she told him about how she came to that single conclusion that helped them catch the culprit and solve the case.

"You never cease to amaze me, Liz", he told her softly. "I wonder where you learned all that stuff."

"Well, I have my ways", she smiled. "And that's almost all I'm good at. That's why I'm here analyzing things and not there with you. You know I'm terrible at field work."

The way Lincoln was looking at her, with that weird mixture of adoration and care, made her want to smile forever.

"What?" she asked feeling her heart give a leap.

Lincoln shook his head and just started walking away.

"I owe you a bowl of chocolate ice cream", he announced suddenly.

"You know I hate chocolate ice cream, right?" Libby frowned, looking at his back.

Lincoln turned around to face her and lifted his hands in dismay.

"Then I guess you'll have no choice but to give it back to me immediately", he turned away from her again.

"Oh, you think you're funny", she giggled.

"I _am_ funny!" he shouted without even looking back at her and walked away.

Before she knew it, Libby was joined by Olivia at her work-board.

"He must be good", Olivia said quietly.

Libby frowned.

"At what?"

"You know", Olivia made the sneakiest of faces. To her amazement, Libby sat silent for a moment and then burst out laughing.

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Wait... you've never done it?"

"Duh, we've never even kissed."

"What? I thought you were together!"

"What made you think that?"

Olivia shrugged.

"Well, I don't know... the way you act around him, the way he acts around you..."

Libby copied her.

"So?"

She made that "you're not gonna fool me" face.

"You're _so_ into each other."

Libby just waved her off.

"Oh, believe me, it will be a historical day when Lincoln Lee admits he's actually into someone."

"Why don't you ask him out? I can see you like him."

"I don't want to, if he likes me he's supposed to show it one way or another. And if you think that his flirting is a display of affection, well, ask any female agent, doctor, nurse or even cashier in the building, they will all confirm that this is the only way he can act around women."

And as the nearest female person in the room happened to be Astrid, Olivia turned to her for confirmation.

"Is it true?"

"With a few exceptions, statistically, yes", Astrid nodded.

Olivia arched an eyebrow in perplexity.

"Oh boy."

Libby laughed quietly.

"I guess, with Captain Lee you never know what's on his mind unless he tells you that out loud himself", she said.

* * *

><p>The fact that she didn't have her own car didn't bother Libby at all. To be honest, she loved the subway and the mysterious atmosphere it had about it. Every time she arrived at the Fringe headquarters she felt like arriving into a whole new world of possibilities and subway felt like a proper way to do it.<p>

That morning she was late to work which was a lot unlike her. She didn't know why the alarm clock went ballistic or why she was suddenly out of teabags so that she had to buy herself tea in a teashop. So when she arrived at her destination she knew she had to hurry up.

Something was wrong right away. First, there was a familiar and strange cracking noise. Then, a single bright flash of blue light ripped the air around her apart. She saw this before... she knew what was coming... No, not now... The street was full of people, for God's sake. She had to act fast.

She touched her earpiece.

"This is agent Carroll", she tried to stay cool. "I think I might be at a Fringe sight, check my exact location and the environment status, please. Evacuation and quarantine might be needed."

She heard Astrid's voice.

"This is agent Farnsworth. You must leave the sight immediately. The quarantine team will arrive shortly."

_Of course they will, they're just a block away,_ Libby thought.

"Astrid, come on, I can pull it off", Libby said, not believing her own words. "I'll wait for them, it can't take long."

But things were getting worse. Soon enough she started thinking her eyes were deceiving her. At first those were just tiny blue flashes of light. Then they began getting brighter and seemed to appear a little too often. As fear flooded her, she lost track of time. Lincoln's voice brought her back to reality for a couple of moments.

"We're here, Liz, don't worry", he touched her shoulder briefly and went to see what was happening. "Check the degradation levels, people! I said now! Activate protocol!"

The rest was just a blur. She remembered Olivia handing her the quarantine protocol device and going to set up another one herself. Lincoln was running around giving orders.

"Evacuate the area, this is a goddamn class four event!" he was yelling at the uniforms. Those curious passersby who heard him started screaming and hurried to run away as fast as possible. The others just began to panic and ask other people about what was going on, but soon followed suit.

Libby placed the device on the ground, pressed the button and stood up.

"Protocol initiated, Colonel", she heard Lincoln's voice. "Cohesion is almost none existent. We have to get out of here. The place is getting sealed in a minute."

And then it happened. The ground started shaking and before Libby knew what was going on, the pavement started slipping away right from under her feet like quicksand. She fell and hit her left shoulder hard, but the pain she felt was nothing comparing to fear that soon she would have nothing to hold on to. The ground just opened wide in a blink of an eye and she reacted fast enough to try and grasp the remains of what was a street a few seconds ago.

Lincoln turned around and saw her, only head, arms and shoulders visible above the disappearing street now, desperately trying to climb out.

"No!" he yelled. Libby saw him grab a rope from someone from their team and wrap it tightly around his belt. Then he ran towards her.

"Linc! What are you doing?" Olivia shouted. "Are you crazy? The Amber is on!"

She ran after him, but he threw her the loose end of the rope.

"Here! Tie it to the car, then pull us out when I tell you!"

He ran towards Libby and threw himself on the ground.

"Take my hand!" he said and tried to reach for her, but she found it hard to actually do what she was told. The vortex was pulling her in. The devices were beeping loudly all around them. Meanwhile, Olivia tied the other end of the rope to the Fringe Division wagon.

"Just go... please..." Libby choked, trying to make him go and save himself, because although she wanted him to save her and wanted to stay alive to fulfil her mission, she knew that there was nothing he could do. The longer he was trying to save her, the bigger were their chances of getting sucked into the vortex or being trapped in Amber together.

"No!" he screamed. He began sliding towards the hole in the ground, too, only the rope helping him stay put long enough. Libby gathered all that was left of her strength and with a desperate jerk managed to grab his wrist. A faint glimpse of hope appeared on Lincoln's face.

"Lincoln, they're gonna activate the protocol! We need to go!" they heard Olivia scream.

"You can drive now!" he screamed back, his voice shaking with fear and happiness at the same time. "I got her!"

The wagon was rumbling in a moment. But Libby couldn't hold on to him anymore. He was strong, but she wasn't. The force with which she was being pulled into the vortex was getting too violent. She felt his hand slipping away. It was too late.

She looked right into his eyes.  
>"I'm sorry", she breathed out and let go of his hand, falling into the storm...<p>

* * *

><p>Libby didn't know when or where she woke up, she only knew that she felt cold and once she started gathering her senses back she realized it was raining. The pain in her shoulder was killing her. At first she touched her forehead, then chest, then she felt her left arm and both cheeks as if trying to check if she was still a whole person, not an ugly mass of flesh, because she certainly felt like one.<p>

She tried to stand up from the ground, but couldn't do it at first. She heard someone ask if she was ok, but she wasn't really able to say anything. The first thing that came into focus was a poster on the glass doors. The Twin Towers in the picture looked stunningly beautiful, the bright Sun rising between them. She couldn't hold her tears back anymore when she read the words beneath the photograph.

_We will never forget_

_September 11, 2001_

At last, she was where she wanted to be in the first place. She was home. Almost.


	6. Chapter 5

_Yes, I find you so appealing  
><em>_When you show me how you're feeling  
><em>_You, my friend, should not be kneeling  
><em>_Open up and start revealing  
><em>_Trust in me my heart is sole  
><em>_I need to see, show me your soul_

* * *

><p><em><strong>SHOW ME YOUR SOUL<strong>_

_**Chapter 5**_

Libby had always loved airplanes. She loved to watch the clouds below. All of their different shapes and patterns, where some of them were pearly white and solid, the others - creamy and soft, and the rest was just a faint vapor. They were layered in most random ways, but beneath them were cities and towns and rivers and fields. So near, but so out of reach.

She felt nothing like that about zeppelins though. She never really cared for what was above or below whenever she travelled on a zeppelin. Everything about them just seemed so boring and casual. She would never call the alternate universe her home.

Her father used to tell her one simple thing that she could never get out of her head. _Be careful what you wish for._

She wished she could tell her Lincoln who she really was and why she was here. She wanted to tell him a story about an angry eighteen-year-old girl who happened to travel back in time and crossover at the same time, so that she found herself in the middle of quarantined Boston in 2005. It wasn't that different from what she remembered of it, but she instantly knew that this wasn't the place she wanted to go to in the first place.

She remembered the first time she was tested for Cortexiphan when she was just six. The results came back positive. Her mother started crying once she heard about it. And the worst thing about it was that Libby was never treated with Cortexiphan.

For almost two years she'd been working her way up to gain Colonel Broyles's trust and become a part of the Fringe Division. He always suspected she knew too much, but she only knew what she had already seen with her own eyes. It wasn't her fault that the history was repeating itself. In a different form, yes, but she had still seen it all happen.

She wished she could tell her Lincoln that she really wanted to be with him, but she couldn't explain her feelings towards him. How would it sound if she told him that she remembered him as this man that used to hang around in their house when something important was happening in the world? She did remember him as Special Agent Lincoln Lee, but not in the way that he knew it now. He used to buy her toys for her birthday.

When she started working for the FBI, she had to gain Broyles's trust all over again, which didn't seem to be that hard at all. She knew which strings to pull now. Of course, he too suspected she knew too much, but preferred not to pay a lot of attention to it, only joking and waving it off occasionally.

She wished she could tell her Lincoln about her journey, about what she had to go through, about how many people she saw die...

And then there was Captain Lincoln Lee, the brave and strong man that risked his life trying to save the people he cared for. He was so strong physically and mentally that she felt weak and helpless compared to him. And now, when she was just standing there, trying to hurt him, punching him in the chest, he was just ignoring her like he could easily brush her off and wouldn't even care.

"Why?" she cried. "Why did you do it?"

He flinched once again as her fist came in contact with his body for the hundredth time.

"Liz, please..." he was speaking quietly, just as he always did when he wanted to calm her down. "I didn't mean to do that. I would never do it on purpose."

She didn't care.

"You killed him..." she was sobbing now, trying to make him feel the pain that she was feeling with all her might, but he just grabbed her wrists and looked her right in the eyes.

"Listen! We are at war here for a second!" his voice suddenly became loud and she was scared of him, because she knew that whenever there was this infernal light in his eyes he meant business. "I was trying to protect her! He just happened to be in the way! I didn't mean to do him any harm!"

"No..." she tried to wriggle her way out of his grasp, but he was too strong. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Why do things like that happen to me? Why does everyone I care about die?"

It felt like some kind of a terrible cosmic joke, as if the universe was playing tricks on her. She was trying to fix one mistake and it turned into making another...

But wasn't that what the Observers used to tell her? They always said that there are consequences. She just didn't want to believe them. She always thought she was above that. She was her parents' daughter. She was special.

Lincoln was still holding her arms in place firmly.

"Liz, I didn't know you were here, I thought you were dead", he said, his voice trembling.

She didn't want to look at him.

"Of course you didn't know anything", she snapped. "You were too busy babysitting my brother."

He told her all apologies he could come up with.

"We have to protect what is left of your world... while we still can..."

Libby looked up at him.

"Why would you even crossover here in the first place?"

"Our world was dying... for real... there was no other way, Liz, trust me".

She wanted to trust him like he used to trust her, but she would never forget what he did.

She wished she could tell _her_ Lincoln that she was finally able to save her parents and hope he wouldn't be upset about her leaving him.

Now nothing of that mattered. He was dead. Killed. Shot by his own alternate version who was trying to protect the woman he was in love with. Funny, because that was exactly what Libby's Lincoln was trying to do as well. If that wasn't the weirdest cosmic joke ever, she didn't know what was, then. She knew he wasn't supposed to be involved in the situation in the first place. There were too many people at the moment, the whole situation was a mess. He just happened to be there. Because of her.

She watched her mother bleed to death once, now it happened to the only man she truly loved. What was the point in trying to save one person's life when someone else was going to die anyway?

Or maybe it was just a matter of who had to die... She knew what she had to do.

Next time, when that happy couple went to celebrate Christmas with their daughter, which also happened to be her birthday, something stopped that little girl from running across the road at first. She thought she saw someone... Someone familiar, but a stranger at the same time. The woman smiled at her and turned to walk away. And only after that that little girl released her mother's legs and went to run across the street.

And only after that there was a loud screeching sound and her mother's screams and tears as the red balloon flew up and away into the blue skies.


	7. Epilogue

_Don't expect too much from me  
><em>_Perfection is no test for me  
><em>_Because the best I'll ever be  
><em>_Is just like you: A human being  
><em>_You won't offend, I need to know  
><em>_Please, my friend, show me your soul_

* * *

><p><em><strong>SHOW ME YOUR SOUL<strong>_

_**Epilogue **_

Libby was standing in the middle of a graveyard in Boston looking at one of the gravestones silently. It was a very chilly December morning, but she couldn't care less about the weather at the moment. She was burning with anger, he face flushed and even though she looked fairly calm, in reality her heart was racing so fast she could hear the blood pumping in her veins.

A man walked up to her and stood beside her, both facing the same direction.

"I hear you wanted to see me", he said without any expression.

"Why did you do this?" she said rewarding him with a scornful look.

He continued to speak with complete indifference.

"You wanted your parents to be alive. They are alive now."

She snorted looking him up and down.

"Screw you."

He looked at her and tilted his head a bit.

"I understand your anger. But the universe needs balance. Someone had to go."

She didn't know what to say. She just wanted to punch him in the face and knock that stupid hat off of his bald head. She swallowed and put her hands in her pockets trying not to scream in anger that was almost at the boiling point at the moment. She was shaking.

"It's been fifteen years... what am I missing?" she was breathing heavily suppressing her rage, her eyes looking around madly.

The man looked away again staring into space.

"You know that there is only one way for everyone that you love to be alive and prevent such things from happening again."

Libby fell silent once again. The pain inside her chest was getting worse, she felt like yelling at the bald man, but she knew perfectly well that it would make no difference.

"What about Henry?" she asked a minute later trying to calm herself down.

"He will meet his fate soon, too", the Observer told her. "What was written will come to pass."

She turned away from him, unwilling to accept his words, only to see a car pull up at the graveyard. As she recognized it the emotions completely overwhelmed her and she broke down letting herself go. Tears were running down her cheeks now as she kept staring at the car, her lips trembling.

"Just like nothing ever happened..." she whispered.

September tilted his head again.

"So be it."

He turned his head to his right where the girl was standing, but saw no one. Just like he had expected. He tilted his head again. A man and a woman got out of the car. September quietly walked away before they could see him.

The man took his wife's arm and they walked down the familiar path, the one they'd been walking down for almost a year now. She was bravely holding back her tears, but as she set a white tulip upon the gravestone and her husband did the same she broke down and turned to him to hide her face away from the world. She wasn't ashamed of her tears, she just didn't want her daughter to see her mother cry again, because she knew she never liked that.

"I... I w-wish... it w-was m-me in-nstead..." she sobbed quietly as her husband wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"There's nothing we can do, Livia", he answered wishing there was something else he could say to comfort her, but that was the only truth he knew. Their daughter wasn't coming back, there was nothing they could do to save her, no one could replace her and the only thing that kept them going was their memories.

Even though she was just a little girl she was a lot like her mother. At least, that's what Peter had thought. Olivia, on the other hand, used to call her "Daddy's little girl", because sometimes little Libby did silly things and didn't think about the consequences. She was this kid that everyone loved: her grandfather Walter, "auntie" Astrid and "uncle" Lincoln, her real aunt Rachel and her cousin Ella of whom Olivia was strongly reminded every time she put Libby to sleep late at night telling her bedtime stories about monsters and fairies, or when her daughter would wake up early in the morning and loud noises of kitchen utensils hitting the floor were followed by Peter's croaky curses as he would get out of bed, half-asleep, and go downstairs to clean up and explain to his daughter that it is really cute that she wants to make her mommy and daddy some toast and bacon for breakfast, but mommy and daddy could really use some sleep instead.

"_You can't imagine what it's like to lose a child"_, Walter told her once. And little did she know that her fate was to not only imagine it, but to actually experience it. She wished she was more responsible. If only she'd been more careful that day... Nothing would've happened.

But now she and Peter had to deal with this and when she finally calmed down and turned back to the gravestone looking at the flowers they'd just put there with her puffy and red eyes she realized how beautiful they were. White tulips. She knew the meaning behind these flowers perfectly well. A message of forgiveness. Something she couldn't express with words anymore, not that there was any use to it.

"I wish things were different", she whispered and they simply held on to each other knowing that the only thing they have left was memory and the gravestone that said:

_Elizabeth Marylin Bishop  
><em>_Beloved daughter of Peter and Olivia Bishop  
><em>_25 Dec 2011 - 25 Dec 2020_


End file.
